No fewer than 704 students from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, have filed a petition with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Sokoto zonal office, requesting an investigation into the alleged diversion of their tuition fees by the Special Adviser on Students’ Matters to the state governor, Abubakar Muhammad Salame.
The students, who are indigenes of Sokoto State, also called on Governor Dr. Ahmed Aliyu to intervene to save their academic careers.
They allege that Salame, tasked with overseeing the tuition fee payments for Sokoto indigenes, has failed to pay their registration fees and may have diverted the funds.
On Wednesday, the group’s leader, Usman Yahuza, explained that while the state government had approved payment for 5,994 students, only 5,290 were successfully registered, leaving 704 students without paid fees.
“Out of the total number of students for which the tuition fees were approved, the Special Adviser paid the tuition fees of 5,290 students in three batches and left the tuition fees of the remaining 704 students unpaid, which has led them to unnecessary hardship in the course of their studies,” Yahuza said.
He noted that some students were forced to defer or withdraw from their studies due to unpaid fees, while others received temporary ID cards to sit for ongoing semester exams.
When contacted, Salame responded, stating he would address the allegations “at the appropriate time.”
